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Health and Nutrition

RAMW believes that restaurants play a large role in healthful choices and increased quality of life for residents of and visitors to the Washington DC Metropolitan Area. According to the National Restaurant Association’s “What’s Hot in 2013 Survey” healthy kids meals and nutrition will help lead menu trends in 2013. Several RAMW members are active participants in the NRA’s Kids LiveWell Program.

Recently, new laws have been introduced at the state and national level, including sugary drink bans and menu labeling practices, which reinforce this trend but which RAMW believes creates unnecessary burdens on restaurant operators.

More chefs are making dishes from scrap ingredients, as zero-waste cooking trends to No. 3 in the National Restaurant Association's "What's Hot" report. Day after day, Washington, DC’s Teaism would trash pounds of broccoli stems, trimmings from florets served in the fast-casual’s bento boxes. Eyeing the waste, co-owner Michelle Brown would demur to Chef Alison Swope: “It’s a shame we can’t do anything with all those stems.” Challenge accepted. Swope’s “Broccoli Tots” combine ground broccoli stems with goat cheese and...

Restaurant Business Online // by Patricia Cobe This year met expectations and delivered a few surprises on the plate. These seven trends were major players on restaurant menus. 1. Clean ingredients as table stakes Consumer demand for transparency has changed menu development and sourcing, and there’s no turning back. Fast-casual operators were pioneers in cleaning up ingredient lists, but in 2018, operators in every segment made menu transparency a priority. And suppliers responded, reformulating products with minimal processing and all-natural ingredient lists. “Free-from”...

SmartBrief | by Tricia Contreras Whether it’s Paleo, Whole30 or low-sugar, the number of US consumers who subscribe to some type of diet is on the rise. In fact, 36% of Americans reported following a specific eating pattern or diet within the past year, according to the annual Food & Health Survey released in May by the International Food Information Council Foundation. That figure is up from 14% in 2017 (when the question was open-ended). Here’s a rundown of some of the most popular diets and how they are shaping modern menus and grocery carts -- plus a look at some emerging...

International Bottled Water Association Consumers prefer bottled water, recognize it as a healthy choice, and think it should be available wherever drinks are sold Alexandria, VA – More than 3 in 5 Americans (63 percent) say bottled water (still and/or sparkling) is among their most preferred beverages, followed by coffee (62 percent), according to a new national survey. Fewer Americans (58 percent) say soft drinks (regular and/or diet) are among their most preferred drinks. Nearly all Americans (94 percent) believe that bottled water is a healthier choice than soft drinks, and 93...Read more

Washington, D.C. — Today, the National Restaurant Association releases its annual survey of 700 professional chefs – members of the American Culinary Federation – to predict food and beverage trends at restaurants in the coming year. The annual “What’s Hot” list gives a peak into which food, beverages and culinary concepts will be the new items on restaurant menus that everyone is talking about in 2018. According to the survey, menu trends that will be heating up in 2018 include doughnuts with non-traditional filling, ethnic-inspired kids’ dishes,...Read more

Today, Whitman-Walker Health (WWH) announced several DC-area restaurants will show their support for the upcoming Walk & 5K to End HIV, formerly AIDS Walk Washington, by participating in the first annual Brunch to End HIV on Sunday, November 6th. Each of the participating restaurants has agreed to donate a portion of their November 6th brunch sales to benefit Whitman-Walker’s HIV services and programs on this 30th anniversary of the Walk & 5K to End HIV, taking place Saturday, November 12th at Freedom Plaza. “We are so excited to have the support of some of the DC area...Read more

Because of its geographic and climatic characteristics, Chile is a real phytosanitary island. The origin of resources preserves its purity, protected by natural barriers. The origin of foods is source of trust and quality. Learn more about how Chile has developed a trustable, stable, and modern industry that knows how to adapt to the needs and demands of different markets. Watch the video (2 minutes)

Extending for over 2,500 miles along Latin America’s southwestern coast, Chile is protected by natural barriers of mountains, glaciers, dessert and sea, creating a pristine environment for plants and wildlife to flourish. From deserts in the North to rain forests and snow-capped volcanoes in the South, Chile’s vast and varied geography is extraordinarily bio diverse: In the northern deserts, inland oases support lush crops of citrus fruits, grapes, walnuts, and much more. In the Chilean heartland, an abundance of avocados, apples, grapes, and other fruits grow from the nutrient-...

The DC Department of Health has some information to help prevent the spread of the Enterovirus. Click below for more information. Click Here: /sites/default/files/Enterovirus D68 Parent and Guardian Update 2014 09-18 + NR edits.pdf

Focus on cleanliness, good hygiene practices to prep your restaurant for an A+ By Kristin Dempsey Heading up a restaurant means there is an endless list of things you need to get ready for each and every day. In the hustle and bustle of the daily lunch rush or the late-night crowd, it’s easy to push one of the most important items farther and farther down the “to do” list: Get ready for the next health inspection. You don’t want to be left scrambling to make sure everything is up to code right before an expected visit – which you can’t predict anyway. What...